page_title: Dwarf rainbowfish
section_title: Introduction
hierarchical_section_title: Dwarf rainbowfish / Introduction
caption_attribution_description: English: A pair of male dwarf neon rainbows in a home aquarium.
context_page_description: The dwarf rainbowfish is a species of rainbowfish in the subfamily Melanotaeniinae, also commonly known as the neon rainbowfish. It is endemic to the Mamberamo River basin in West Papua in Indonesia and common in the aquarium trade.
context_section_description: The dwarf rainbowfish occupies small, slow-moving tributaries in regions with rainforest. It generally reaches up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in length, but there are reports of individuals up to 8 cm (3.1 in). M. praecox is  considered to be an omnivorous species. Males tend to be brighter in color and have deeper bodies than the females. This species' is considered to be an egg-scatterer, so it is easy to breed. Their bodies are bright blue and iridescent, and their fins are colorful. This species is active and is known to jump out of water. They are native to a tropical climate. This species is harmless to humans, and is used commercially for aquariums and commerce. They are known to be found in freshwater environments within a benthopelagic range.
caption: A pair of male dwarf neon rainbows in a home aquarium
exif: {"Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "1200", "Image YResolution": "1200", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2011:03:08 00:48:12", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "231", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/200", "EXIF FNumber": "10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:03:06 21:06:06", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:03:06 21:06:06", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "125237/16384", "EXIF ApertureValue": "108853/16384", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, compulsory flash mode, red-eye reduction mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "70", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2599", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1650", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "3888000/877", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "432000/97", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}